Channel-pin.



No. 822,168. PATE-N'IED MAY 29 1906.

' E. W. VOGEL.

CHANNEL PIN.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27.1905.

2. VMW @M W i To all whom it'nimy concern.

of the holes.

tact or galvanicseries and constitute minute batteries when subjected to the moisture in larger conductor, and more particularly-to a of wedge-shaped pins.

UGEN sU'PPLi con m on o N sea, ice.

Be it known that I, EUGENE WyVOGEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefullmprovement in Channel-Pins; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the artlto which it pertains to make anduse the same, reference-beinghad to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates in general 'to improvements in electric connectors for unitinga Wire or other small electric conductor to a bonding-pin for securin a wire within a hole formed in a railroad-rai j In connecting small electrical conductors to relatively large conductors it is customary to retain the ends of the small conductor in holes formed in a large conductor by means In the art of railroad signaling, for instance, the ends of adjoining rails are electrically connected by wire bonds inserted in holes in the rails and secured therein by channel-pins. The channel-pins are usually co per-coated, while the bond l employed is or inarily alvanized wire. The use of copper-coated c liannel-pins is objectionable for several reasons. I

. First. An imperfect electrical connection is formed between the bonding-wire and pins, owing'to the portions adjacent the ends of the galvanized bonding-wire being rough and. the ins being so; hard that the rough points on tiie wire cannot be embedded therein.

Second. A poor electrical connection is formed between the rail and the pins, as the pins are so hard that when driven they do not completely fill the holes in the rails, and hence do not evenly contact with the walls Third. The ends of th'ebon'ding-wire de tleriorate through electrolysis and break ofi. 'he copper on the pins and the zinc on the wires occupy different positions in the conthe atmosphere and to salt-water drippings from refri crating-cars, thereby soon eating (off the en s of the bonds.

Fourth. The steel body portion of the pins vocnn or sarcasm-initiators, ASSI came s;

11 m 2 7. 1905. Seria1ll0'.27l 14.

' rust through thethe copper coating.

driven into the h'oles d'ritlie' railsj' a of the pin; Fig. 3, a

as 16 THE Emil copper coating "when ex-" posed to moisture;therebyrendering the pins 5 5 useless. The pins are'marketed 'in bags, and it is a frequent occurrence ior entire bags of rust, being impossiblewitlid mills n "g? ll (I pins to be ruined byto remove the ru's The primary obj cc of provide a channel-15 m, I p" rfect electrical connection both with the ends of thebond and with the rails, thereby reducing 6 5 the resistance in the track-circuits. f

A further object of my invention is to pro- I videa channel pin 'having its surface which engages the bonding-wire of approximately the same contact )o't'ent"al as th t o'f-tn" tionof the wire with lfit A further object of y iny'enti vide a channel-pin net by. rusting when ex "os'iedjt'o the atnieepu A further object of my invention is'to pro- 7 5 vid'c a channel-pin foruniting electrical conductors which willbe simple in construction,

inexpensive in manufacture, and, durable and the c annel-pin uniting the endsof a bondingwire to a rail; Fig.1}? meg...

enlar ed pl Fig. 2; Fig. 4, Fig.3.

, to parts in the several of'the drawings. 5

Reference-letter A indicates a channehpin roo adapted to surround the end of a bondingwire C andti htlv secure the same Within'a hole in the we OF a rail B. The channel-pin is placed aroundthe end of the bondin wire,'

which is usually 'alvanized wire, an then :05

driven into the ho e iIL-the web of the rail,

The coating of tin on the convex portion of,

the channel-pin insures a uniform electrical connection between thepin and the rail inasmuch as the tin is so soft that when the pin is driven into the rail any unevenness in contact between the pin and the wall around the hole will result in portions of the tin being sheared off, indicated at 0 Fig. 1, so that the entire convex surface of the pin will be in.

contact with the metal around thehole irf the rail.

The coating of tin on' the concave surface of the pin permits the rough projections on the galvanized bonding-wire to be embedded therein the pin is driven into the rail, thereby resulting in uniform contact between the bonding-wire and the entire concave surface of the pin. The coating of tin which engages the end of the bondingwire is of ap proximately the. same contact potential as the zinc on the galvanized bonding-wire, and consequently neither moisture of the atmosphere nor salt-water drippings from refrigeral'ing-ct-rs'will cause the end of the bondingwire to be eaten away, as is the case when the chan nel-pin is coated witli copper or any other metal occupying different position in the contact or galvanic series from thegalvanized wire.

' The coating of tin prevents the steel body portion of the pin rusting, and should any rust form on the tin coating it may be readily removedwithout injuring the tin coating.

' l/Vhile l have referred to tin specifically as the preferable metal to be used in'eoating the channel-pins, yet it is evident that my invention is not limited thereto, but includes a channel-pin coated with a soft metal of such thickness that the bonding-wire will be embedded therein and the convex surface will shear ell when the pin is driven, thereby effecting a perfect electrical contact both between the pin and bonding-wire and between the pin and the rail. It 1s also obvious that in lieu of tin other soft metals might be used of approximately the same contact potential as that of the bonding-wire.

The phrase .approximatel the same con tact potential is used in t e specification and claims to designate metals occupying substantially the same position in the contact or galvanic series as distinguished from metals occupying positions so remote in the contact or galvanic series as to produce such galvanic action as would deteriorate the metals.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isi 1. A channel-pin for electrically securing a small conductor within a hole in a large conductor, com rising a body portion having a concave su ace coated with a soft metal of a thickness to have embedded therein the engaged surface of the small conductor.

2. A channel-pin for electrically securing a small conductor within a hole in a large con-. ductor, comprising a body portion,a concave surface, and a metal coating of approximately the same contact potential asthe engaged surface of the small conductor.

3. A channel-pin for'electrically securing a small conductor within a hole in a large.con ductor comprising a bod portion, a concave surface, and a soft-meta coating of ap roximately the same contact potential as t e engaged surface of the small conductor and of a thickness to have embedded therein the eng'aged surface of the small conductor.

4. A bonding-pin for electrically uniting conductors comprising a body portion covered with a coating of tin.

5. A channel-pin for electrically securing a small conductor within a hole in a larger conductor comprising a body portion having a concave surface coated with tin.

6. A channel-pin for electrically securing a small conductor within a hole in a large conductor, comprising a body portion. having a convex surface coated with tin.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses EUGENE W. VOGEL.

Witnesses:

Geo. L. WILKINSON, C. A. MULLEN. 

